Darkest Opeth Song

A complicated stupid reply:
Morningrise.

You see for me Morningrise is an emotional entity, from which no song cannot be separated, what becomes of mood. And this is not just syrup bullshit. The mood reaches all over the album.

The thing is very similiar to Katatonia's Brave Murder Day, which I feel to be describing one single feeling. And it's this "discouraged television sleep", mentioned long after.
Well, if we'd want to discuss this, there would be another place for that....

Now, I'd still like to reward Serenity Painted Death with a speacial mention. The part "Darkness reared it's head...." is so, SO pressing and chaotic, more darker than ANYTHING, but since it's only a short part of the song, and the rest of the song isn't musically that dark, I'll leave it be.
 
Lyrically, Serenity Painted Death is right up there.

"Ripped from my embrace
Melinda reflected in shafts
Red line round her neck
Met the earth in silence
White faced, haggard grin
This serenity painted death
With a halo of bitter disease
Black paragon in lingering breath
Saw here fading, blank stare into me
Clenched fist from the beautiful pain
Darkness reared its head
Tearing within the reeling haze
Took control, claiming my flesh
Piercing rage, perfect tantrum
Each and every one would die at my hand
Choking in warm ponds of blood"

That's pretty goddamn dark. And, the really heavy part during the first 4 lines as written above... damn. However, musically, as Windom Pearl said, the whole song doesn't keep up to that level of darkness... it "lightens" throughout. And, yeah... the "Each and every one would DIE AT MY HAND!!!" is just brutally fucking homicidal. One of the most aggressive vocals ever. Good wholesome stuff.

Tough call, though.
 
As for "The darkest Opeth song," I can't choose one. I'm pretty indecisive about things in life; no favorite song, band, food, color, etc., things constantly change. But...
[Quoted by HOSERHELLSPAWN - "Each and everyone would DIE BY MY HAND! 'is just brutally fucking homicidal. One of the most aggressive vocals ever."
if you want brutality, all you need to do is pop in a "Cannibal Corpse" or "Six feet under" CD, two of the most wholesome bands out there!;) By the way, does anyone else here listen to much Death Metal? I notice I haven't heard a lot of the bands you are all talking about.
 
Well, that's the thing. No, I don't actually seek brutality and most straightforward death metal I've heard is, to agree with winter-frost as it pertains to SFU (not Simon Fraser University) boring. However, for Opeth to incorporate that level of bruatlity temporarily in the middle of a more melodic, dynamic (intersting) music, makes for a really cool moment.

Incidentally, yes, Demon of the Fall is also a definate candidate (sort of the "obvious choice"). Leper Affinity and Blackwater Park are both very dark as well. I'm going to have to go back to Orchid and Morningrise and see if I can find something better, though.
 
No way, guys. SFU has some good riffs, they entertain me. I don't dwell on thier lyrics, but they're funny and Chris Barnes has an awesome voice. I don't always go looking for brutality either, I just LOVE death metal :p I'd say about 70 - 80% of my music collection is death metal, and another 15% is other metal , however you want to classify that these days.
 
benighted is to my mind the darkest song ever composed by mikael, but isn't opeth about dark melancoly and grace, whatever the song is ?
 
Lyricly, "serenity painted death" is darker than "black rose immortal". Musicly? I am not sure. The first has some really dark part (the part where there is a long stream of quiet guitar, then a "dual scream"), but the latter has a very dark atmosphere all along (all along the album, actually, as someone above said). Demon of the fall isn't the darker, but is sure heavy.
 
ONE of the darkest Opeth tracks is very easily none other than a devastating Orchid track...... INTO THE FROST OF WINTER.

and what is that tripped out sound in it at min 4.14? I love it! It sounds so headscrapingly industrial.
 
the saddest song must be Harvest....

"Into the orchard I walk peering way past the gate
wilted scenes for us who couldn't wait
Drained by the coldest caress, stalking shadows ahead
Halo of death, all I see is departure
Mourner's lament but it's me who's the martyr"